This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
After two relatively mild winters in a row, Doc Savage could not have been happier when a weeklong cold snap hit the area in January.
It created perfect conditions for “The Outdoor Rink” — affectionately known as The ODR — in his Waddle backyard, where local hockey players young and old flock to enjoy some friendly competition and camaraderie whenever the weather allows it.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the temperature was hovering around 10 degrees as people started to show up in Savage’s yard. The eclectic gathering included local youth hockey players as young as 8 years old; players from the Penn State women’s varsity ice hockey team and men’s club hockey team; employees from Pegula Ice Arena; adults who play in Savage’s “beer league;” and a group of hardy spectators, including parents, friends and even a star of Penn State’s student Roar Zone, “Nicky the Cowboy.”
As others were putting on their equipment, an early arrival volunteered to smooth the ice by pulling a makeshift Zamboni fashioned from rope, a perforated tub filled with warm water and a towel trailing behind.
After some warmup skating, players tossed their sticks in a pile to choose teams for a pickup three-on-three tournament.
Through it all, Savage was busy helping to ready the rink, throwing hot dogs onto a roller grill, lighting a campfire and making sure everyone was comfortable. As the first game began, he settled in to watch with a huge grin on his face.
“Watching this, you just can’t help but smile,” he said.
About seven years ago, Savage built the first iteration of the rink using wooden planks. He started inviting youth hockey coaches and people he knew from Pegula, where he staffs the penalty box for Penn State ice hockey games, to come out and skate. Thus, The ODR was born.
In 2022, after the wooden planks began to rot, Savage started a GoFundMe campaign to purchase the current configuration — a 48-by-80-foot rink, manufactured by a company named NiceRink and made from waterproof plastic boards. He has modified it with backstops as well as lights for nighttime play.
Besides the rink itself, the setup includes a pizza oven and hot dog roller, propane heaters, an ice fishing tent which can be used as a changing room, a music speaker and tailgate tables to hold the treats that people bring — things like cookies, chips and drinks, including adult beverages for the grownups.
Each year, Savage assembles the rink after the leaves are done falling, which is usually around Thanksgiving, he noted. Then he waits for a stretch of at least three days of temperatures below freezing to solidify the ice.
After that, “I pretty much leave it open to anyone, as long as they’re not abusing it or skating too hard. It’s not made for full-speed practice with 10 college kids at one time,” he said. “The real intent is to have the little kids come out with the adults and Penn State students. The college kids really like to come out; it’s kind of an outreach thing.”
Heather Manning said that skating with the Penn State players has been a positive experience for her son, Hudson, age 12.
“It’s a really great place for the college students to interact with those that play youth hockey. That’s what I love about it. You can tell these college kids actually want to play with these young kids. It’s just so great to bring together all of these people doing what they absolutely love to do,” she said.
Ali Rabideau has three boys who play youth hockey for the State College Icers. The ODR is one of their favorite places, she said, and the chance to play with Penn State hockey players has left a lasting impression on them.
While out skating, her youngest son, Carson, wore a sweatshirt emblazoned with Penn State player Jimmy Dowd Jr.’s name. She said Carson has become a huge fan of Dowd’s, especially after Dowd presented him with a hockey stick signed, “Can’t wait to see you again at The ODR” after a Penn State game.
Savage does not want to be paid by anyone to use the rink. Providing it to the community is his way of giving back to the sport he has loved since he played youth hockey in his hometown of Hershey, he said.
“I only have a few pretty basic rules. You need to shovel the snow before you get on it, and you need to shovel after you get done. You have to clear everything off of the ice at the end of the day. And keep the cooler stocked — that is one of the most important rules,” he laughed.
